Emergency crews have attended a second fire in bins at Margate’s Invicta House in less than a week.
Four fire engines and the height vehicle attended the Millmead Road towerblock at 11.37pm yesterday (July 10).
A Kent Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “Crews used a hose reel jet to extinguish a fire in a waste bin at the base of the bin chute, which resulted in smoke logging on the 7th to 14th floor. A high pressure fan was used to clear the building of smoke. There were no reported injuries and the cause is not known.”
Crews finished at the scene at 00:13am.
One resident reported smoke in the hallway as high as the 9th floor and said the amount of rubbish accumulating at the block is a fire hazard.
The blaze on Sunday prompted firefighters to urge residents living in tower blocks to be careful with what they dispose of into the bin chute / communal waste. Smokers are being reminded to fully extinguish cigarettes before they are thrown away in any situation. A discarded cigarette that’s still alight can lead to devastating consequences if thrown out and allowed to smolder in furnishings or dry grassland.
Last year firefighters were called to the block three times in one week following a spate of deliberate fires, mainly in the rubbish chutes but one more worryingly in the stairwell.